All I could remember of Milford Sound when I was young was a journey to reach it that made me very car sick and being persecuted by sandflies. One of those still held true 60 years after the first visit.
My recent visit was a bit different; I was making it as an adult and the weather was different too - much more windy. I was expecting to be assaulted by sandflies so I smothered myself in repellent. No need. It was too windy for the pests to fly.
I took a cruise. My advice, if you can arrange it, is that it is best to visit just after a significant downpour or during one. You need water to have waterfalls so this day, having had several dry days, there were only about two waterfalls operating rather than 30+ - so that was disappointing. We did see seals and seabirds but no dolphins. It was a cold and windy cruise but still enjoyable. Milford Sound feels a bit different to what I had previously remembered. Less wild, more commercial.
To get to Milford I took a bus trip from Te Anau rather than have to negotiate all the bendy bits by car. I could just focus on the scenery. The bus was full of tourists, mostly Chinese. I never saw any other nationalities visiting during my South Island wanders. We stopped off at a valley where all the passengers got off like lemmings and photographed an empty valley. Then we stopped by a mirror lake except it was nothing like a mirror (too many water weeds). Bussing through the bush was nice and the tunnel was a bit 'hairy'. It is one-way so travellers from each end have to queue to get through. Once through the tunnel the scenery is very much rugged rock and not that interesting when it isn't covered in snow.
On arrival at Milford Sound there is a lot of waiting for the boat in whatever weather conditions are happening. This part was long and unpleasant, standing in cold high winds. Once on the boat I went inside to warm up a bit but you really need to be on deck to feel the place so I went outside and was grateful not to have a 'comb-over' like some of the guys. The cruise lasted about 40 minutes and had a general commentary. We went out as far as the heads to where we could see the Tasman Sea.
At one point on the return home the captain asked if anyone would like to go under one of the waterfalls and get drenched. He stressed that whoever agreed WOULD get totally drenched. Three passengers agreed and were not disappointed. Soaking wet in the wind? Not fun afterwards but they were warned.
After a tiring windswept time at beautiful Milford Sound we boarded the bus for the return journey. Unfortunately, this is where my experience of the travelling in my childhood revisited me. The bus driver was running behind schedule as several passengers had been late back to the bus. He tried to make up time after the tunnel wait which meant the cornerings were much faster going back to Te Anau. I rapidly became seriously bus sick and it took all my willpower not to throw up in the bus (which didn't have sick bags). Positively green, I stumbled out of the bus at Te Anau but walking against a headwind on my skakey legs towards the motel proved to be a challenge. I had hoped I might have developed more tolerance to travelsickness but, alas, not so. It's probably an ear problem since I was born. My mother had remarked that as an 18 month infant I was already showing signs of car sickness.
If you don't have this travel infirmity you'll probably enjoy the changing scenery - from alpine to bush to meadows to lakes.
I didn't see any special cruises to look for the famed black coral though they may exist and boat staff had limited knowledge about it. Despite unpleasant winds and travel sickness this place is definitely worth a visit a couple of times in a lifetime.
Milford Sound runs 15 kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more on either side. Among the peaks are The Elephant at 1,517 metres (4,977 ft), and The Lion, 1,302 metres (4,272 ft).
Milford Sound sports two permanent waterfalls Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. After heavy rain temporary waterfalls can be seen running down the steep sided rock faces that line the fiord. They are fed by rainwater-drenched moss and will last only a few days once the rain stops.
With a mean annual rainfall of 6,412 mm (252 in) each year, a high level even for the West Coast, Milford Sound is known as the wettest inhabited place in New Zealand and one of the wettest in the world. Rainfall can reach 250 mm (10 in) during 24 hours.
If you are sporty you can book to walk the Milford Track but you need to be very fit and prepared to tramp for several days.
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